Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1887-07-30

was uetalle0-
''Stopw he shouted, while his face
grew crimson. "While the truth NAV
not help you, hate to see yoii stand in
the presence Of death with lie upon
your lips. Guard, remove him."
/ was taken away and confined in
gnard house, but not for long. In about
an hour was taken to another tent in
the same encampment, and / entered
1t to find four or five general officers pres
eht. 1t was to be a drum-head court
martial. As / afterward learned, re-
port of my capture had been sent to
headquarters, and Mcclellan had replied:
"Try him by drum-head court martial,
and If found guilty hang him at sunrise. y
A drum-head court martial is dignified
farce. 1t is convened to convict. The
idea is that the victim is guilty, but must
be disposed of according to the regula-
tions of the War Department. The fact
that openly and boldly approached the
Union picket, and that l was coming
from the Confederate lines, carried no
weight in my favor. The officer of the
picket said / was certainly spy, and that
settled it. When they finally conde-
scended to hear my explanation, I gave
my name, and stated that the General
to whom made my reports would
identify me- l stood in neither awe nor
fear, knowing how easily l could be
identified. Some of the members of the
court were opposed to giving me this
chance for my life, but it was finally de-
cided to despatch an orderly and adjourn
the court for an hour. 1 was con-
Quoted back to the guard house to wait,
and when again taken before the officers
expected to be discharged without de-
lay. You can therefore imagine my
feelings when was informed that Gen.
utterly repudiated me. My regiment
and company were dozen miles away,
and l felt that it would be useless 70 ask
further delay. In ten minutes was
found guilty, and sentenced to execution
at sunrise, and before midnight scaffold
had been prepared.
Why had Gen.--denied my identity!
The only excuse could offer for him was
that he was drunk when the Messenger
reached him, and such proved to be the
case. Reused from his stupid sleep, he
had winked and blinked at the COM
munication and made out portion of it,
and then flung it down with the assertion
that he knew no one of my name. The
gallows was erected within few rods of
where was confined. Some beams and
boards were taken from an abandoned
house, and the structure was a very rude
affair l could plainly hear every blow
struck, and the fellows engaged in put
ting it up seemed to want me to overhear
their unfeeling remarks. About an hour
before daylight curious change took
place in me- began to wonder if ! was
really the man l claimed to be, and it
wasn't fifteen minutes before | had come
to the conclusion that l was some one
else-in fact, confederate spy, as they
declared. This idea took such firm
lodgment in my mind that ] would have
honestly denied my real identity. l felt
that l had been fairly tried and honestly
convicted, and that 1 ought to suffer
death. There was no particular terror in
the idea. The only thought about hang
ing which made me cringe was the fall
through the trap. 1t seemed to me as |
reflected on it that the pain would be
something awful, but l was consoled at
the same time with the reflection that it
would soon be over.
Half an hour before sunrise l was
brought out and escorted to the foot of
she gallows. If remember right there
was about half company of infantry on
the ground. Only few of the soldiers
in camp were out to witness the pro-
ceedings. They had graciously provided
me with spiritual consolation in the pres
ence of chaplain but, though the good
man talked to me for ten minutes, l did
not hear one word in twenty he uttered.
/ was all the time wondering how long
before it would be over, and every
minute of delay made me impatient.
When the time came for me to mount the
scaffold was really glad Of it. There
was nothing in the sight of the dangling
rope to chill me. l took my place on the
trap, the chaplain uttered prayer, and
then a soldier quickly tied my elbows
and ankles and pulled cap over my
head. It was matter of seconds now,
and / said to myself:
SIT is coming now-good-by to all-it
will soon be over"
They had to cut rope underneath to
eprinQ the tran. Nv sense of hearing was